Butt-extending apparatus for fishing rods has been proposed over a period of several decades, for various reasons. However, insofar as applicants are aware, nobody has previously solved the problems of: (1) permitting fishermen to move around on a boat between standing positions at the rail or transom and seated positions in a fishing chair, while effectively using a short-butt deep-sea fishing rod, (2) raising the height of the reel when the short-butt rod is disposed in a fishing chair, and keeping the reel relatively high despite substantial downward axial forces on the butt while a fish is played, (3) increasing the leverage of the fishing rod while the fisherman is seated, and (4) making sure that the overall rod length is sufficient to allow the line to clear the rail or transom of most fishing boats even while the fisherman is seated.